Still On The Run: The Jeff Beck Story

Out now via Eagle vision, Still On The Run: The Jeff Beck Story covers his musical timeframe as well as showing us resting at home, and in his garage, working on his other passion in life, building cars. Some of the testimonials in this film/documentary include childhood friend Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, Joe Perry and many others. Jeff himself comes across as a gracious, matter-of-fact, down to earth person. His demeanour is warm, light-hearted and doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously. The trouble with some of these documentaries is that they sometimes never dig below the surface and turn into a self-congratulatory story, especially if the interviewer is a friend of the interviewee. Not so here.
The documentary itself is well constructed, going between Jeff at home and his timeline storytelling; there are many never seen photos and some short film clips. Right from the beginning Jeff tells his story starting The Tridents (his first band that I had never heard off); The well-remembered and still highly respected The Yardbirds; the innovative Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart, Ron Wood and Mick Waller, then moving forward into the more jazzier and soulful Jeff Beck Group number two era, working with keyboardist Jan Hammer and then on to the present day.

Beck’s childhood saw him surrounded by music; from the endlessly playing radio, to his homemade guitar and the countless hours he spent pouring over records and playing music with his friend, Jimmy Page. “I didn’t have to think about taking up guitar, I just wanted to pour my feelings into it” said Jeff. Around the same time his love of classic cars was ignited from watching American B-movies featuring hot rods, and his two great passions in life were born.
Jeff Beck is a 8 time Grammy Award winner, featured in Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” and recipient of the British Academy’s Ivor Norvello Award. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – twice.
This dvd is highly entertaining, has some interesting moments and contains enough meat on the bone so you will watch it again, I just wish it was a little longer, the time just flew by watching this, with never a dull moment. Highly recommended.
Beck will hit the road for a tour of Europe, which launches June 8 at Holland International Blues Festival and wraps up July 9 at Copenhagen Jazz Festival. He will return to U.S. shores this summer as part of The Stars Align Tour with Paul Rodgers and Ann Wilson, which kicks off July 18 in West Valley City, Ut at Usana Amphitheatre and wraps up Aug. 26 in Tampa, Fla., at Mid Florida Credit Union Amphitheatre